Yes, this blog is called The Houmous Pages, but its also about falafel, schwarma and other delicious street foods of the levant. Hummus, homous, houmous, humus however you spell it, it really can be delicious!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Hummus food scare widens

Dan BellSaturday February 17, 2007

Supermarkets across the country emptied their shelves of hummus yesterday after salmonella was found in dips from one of the UK's main suppliers.

The recall was initiated on Wednesday by Marks & Spencer after routine testing at its supplier discovered salmonella contamination in two hummus products. M&S said there had been no complaints or reports of illness from customers.

But the company's supplier, London-based Katsouris, a unit of Icelandic food group Bakkavor, also decided to pull its hummus from Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose and the Co-op.

Katsouris said the move was a precaution as contamination had been found only in the hummus it had supplied to M&S. The recall included M&S own brand hummus, flavoured hummus and topped hummus (all date codes); Co-op own brand hummus and flavoured hummus (all date codes up to February 28, 2007); Sainsbury's own brand hummus, flavoured hummus and topped hummus (all date codes up to February 28, 2007); Somerfield own brand hummus and flavoured hummus (all date codes up to February 28, 2007); Tesco own brand hummus, flavoured hummus and topped hummus (all date codes up to February 28), and Waitrose own brand hummus, flavoured hummus and topped hummus (all date codes up to February 28, 2007).

A statement on Bakkavor's website said: "Batches of hummus manufactured by Bakkavor Group in the UK have been recalled. Salmonella was discovered in two varieties of hummus manufactured in one of the group's factories. The cause is related to a raw material." Marks & Spencer is conducting an investigation.

Graham's shared items

Basic Felafel Recipe

Finely cut and fry an onion and clove of garlic. Mix with a well-drained can of chickpeas, a few teaspoons of curry powder and a sprinkling of flour. The mixture should be quite dry. Blend with a blender until reasonably smooth, but leave a few lumps for texture. On a floured board, roll lumps of mixture into balls around the size of a ping-pong ball, coating completely in flour. Shallow fry the balls until they are brown. Serve in a warm pitta bread with salad (surówka works well) and a drizzle of plain yoghurt.

Lebanese Felafel Recipe

Drain chick peas. Quarter onion and potato. Run all through fine holes of the meat grinder along with the garlic two times. Add all remaining ingredients except baking soda and vegetable oil. Mix well. Run through grinder once more. Mix again. Cover and leave to rest for two to three hours. Heat oil for deep frying. While oil is heating add baking soda to the chick pea mixture. With dampened hands, form mixture into balls the size of a walnut, then flatten slightly into a patty. Deep fry, making sure patties are cooked through and are golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.